


Collision Catalyst

by Feygoblin



Category: Darkwing Duck (Cartoon 1991), DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Anniversary, Best Friends to Lovers, Drake and Fenton don't know eachother's superhero identities, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Yearning, another oneshot, autistic launchpad, present swapping, trans +gay drake mallard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:35:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27819097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feygoblin/pseuds/Feygoblin
Summary: "It was strange, getting so nervous around someone who usually made you feel so comfortable. It was like he wasn’t used to the feelings of acceptance that came with knowing and being known by Launchpad McQuack."Launchpad and Drake come clean about how they feel about each other.
Relationships: Drake Mallard/Launchpad McQuack, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gandra Dee
Comments: 2
Kudos: 60





	Collision Catalyst

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! My second oneshot... I had to make up for the lack of actual Drakepad in my last fic, so I made up for it with unbearable yearning :) happy ducktales hiatus! I'm evil now! Also thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> EDIT- OMFG THE FORMAT LOOKS SO SQUASHED im going to fix it so it's actually....well... READABLE...SORRY

Drake wakes startled, as he usually does. But it’s different this time- his feathers aren’t soaked wet with sweat, his covers aren’t thrown about from his hazardous dreaming, and his alarm isn’t going off. His eyes fly open, and he’s staring at the ceiling fan in his room, trying to calm down from his dream. He breathes heavily and smooths his hair back, touching his face, his hands, remarking that he’s really awake. His dream isn’t about fighting supervillains or demons from his past, but it’s about something he wants. Something that even now, as he’s trying to calm his heart from beating so hard, he can’t stop thinking about. It’s awful, how his usual thoughts and feelings suddenly feel suffocating. It’s like his emotions stretch out of his body and engulf him, and it’s uncomfortable, especially because he is so used to hiding them deep inside himself. Now, though no one can see them, though the dream’s newness is fading, he feels cut open and strewn about. He growls under his breath, shaking his head, trying not to dwell too much on it. But Drake’s always been one for fantasy, and he can’t help but attempt to replay the already fading pseudo-memories in his head. The touch he could swear was real, the softness of two hands touching and entwining. God, how touch starved did he have to be to dream about holding someone’s hand? He hid his face in his hands, his cheeks red from embarrassment. Sure, he and Launchpad had held hands before, but it was never....Well. It was always either from getting pulled up from the ground or catching each other during a mission. It never included the gentleness of a romantic bond. There was the occasional platonic hand holding whenever Launchpad got scared from a scary movie, sure. But that... That was different. Drake tried to think rationally and mentally prepare himself for the day. He’d be alone with Launchpad this time, since Gosalyn was at McDuck Manor for a sleepover. He was glad she was finally befriending kids her age that were equally as spirited and smart as she was. But it was also unfamiliar, and Drake didn’t like unfamiliar. The emptiness in the tower was already apparent, as there was no one blasting music in the other room or burning muffins in an attempt to surprise him. It was lonely, like it used to be.

  
He jumped when his alarm finally went off, and silenced his phone as quickly as he could, nearly dropping it multiple times in the process. He accidentally ripped the charger unceremoniously from the wall, and remarked with a frown that it was 5:30 pm. LP would be here soon- he had to get ready for the night.  
He sighed, dramatically flinging the covers away as he started his routine of groggily taking a shower, brushing his teeth, getting dressed- all his usuals. Including staring at himself in the mirror for about 15 minutes- which used to be a warm up for his quips and Darkwing Persona, but had turned into a worried assessment of how he was doing. He looked tired, and- wait, was he getting wrinkles? He spent the rest of the time squishing and unsquishing his forehead worriedly, until his phone buzzing jolted him from his dilemma. He checked the text, nervously exhaling when he saw Launchpad’s name pop up. His heart thumped in his chest, and he swallowed hoarsely- though he was nervous, he was always put into a better mood to know Launchpad was around. It was strange, getting so nervous around someone who usually made you feel so comfortable. It was like he wasn’t used to the feelings of acceptance that came with knowing and being known by Launchpad McQuack.  
He was about to leave the bathroom when his phone started to buzz again, this time a ringtone making the small bathroom vibrate and echo with its annoying tune. Drake jumped, his heartbeat thumping more uncomfortable than it was earlier. He checked the face of the phone before answering it, surprised it was Fenton and not Gos or Launchpad that called him. He got nervous. Fenton usually contacted him- well, Darkwing through W.A.N.D.A. This must be a personal call... He cleared his throat, trying not to use his Darkwing voice he was semi-preparing already.  
“Hey, Fenton- Everything Okay?” He asked, trying to make his smile come through the phone.  
“Drake! Hi! I’m so sorry to bother you, umm, I tried to contact Darkwing via W.A.N.D.A, but she said that he was having a umm...bathroom...Thing? I uh, don’t want to know what that means. But I have a favor to ask you to ask him. Umm, from, uh… Gizmoduck.” Fenton rambled nervously, and Drake frowned at the weird phone tag they were doing. Gizmoduckwas too proud to ask him himself? What a coward. Drake sneered and tried not to let his mood sour at the thought of doing a favor for Gizmoduck. But for Fenton- sure, he could do that... Begrudgingly.  
“Suure, pal.”He hissed through gritted teeth, trying to sound friendly.  
“Oh, awesome! Okay, so, I know that I asked- well, for Gizmoduck to have off this evening, right? Well, umm, something’s kinda come up and he’d really rather patrol himself today. By himself. If that’s okay?” He asked, voice a bit shrill on the other line. Drake made a confused, albeit annoyed face.  
“Umm… So Gizmoduck doesn’t want me-err, Darkwing to do his job for him tonight?” Drake asked incredulously, wondering if Fenton was being held hostage or something. But it clicked when he heard another voice on the line, one he was unfamiliar with.  
“Hey suit, almost done with the phonecall? Our plans tonight aren’t going to just magically happen without us” A voice sighed near the receiver- Drake could assume she, whoever she was, was checking Fenton’s phone curiously, trying to see who he was calling. It clicked, and he grinned widely, narrowing his eyes as he leaned against the sink, crossing a leg in amusement.  
“Ohhhh, I get it. You invited someone over and wanna keep the boss busy, right?” He said- if he could wink through the phone he would. Aww, it was cute that Fenton had a girlfriend- Drake was certain he didn’t seem the type.  
“Uhh, errr, umm, well, haha funny thing-” Fenton started to panic, and a small jostle on the other end and more nervous laughter made Drake snort.  
“I mean, yes! That is why I- I mean, Gizmoduck, should be going on patrol. In St. Canard. Because I have a… date. A completely normal date. That does not include him. That would be weird, huh? I, well-” Fenton continued rambling but Drake interrupted him with a laugh and a shake of his head- though Fenton couldn’t see that.  
“Easy, buddy- no problem. I can take a brea-message. A message for him. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind a break for once.” He said, stretching and watching himself in the mirror as he spoke.  
“Oh, thank you! I really appreciate it- today’s a pretty busy night for me. I mean, you know. Um, I’ll check up with you later buddy, gotta go!” He said, and Drake hung up with a smile. A smile that quickly turned into a frown once he heard footsteps down stairs and he remembered Launchpad specifically drove from Duckburg to patrol with him tonight. Which now wouldn’t happen, and that meant they could hang out. Like old times. But that was a problem, because he was still jarred from the dream, and Gosalyn wasn’t here. She was basically his rock as much as he was hers, and was always the buffer between him and Launchpad. But with no buffer and no one to point out how stupid he was, the chances of Drake making a complete fool out of himself tonight was out the roof. It didn’t help that he had, well, something he wanted to give to Launchpad.  
It wasn’t much- not really. Drake wasn’t even sure if it was Launchpad’s kind of thing. Drake wasn’t even a huge gift giver, he wasn’t good at picking out things for people and he was especially bad when it came to spending money. Even now his gift choice was a bit… impulsive. Especially since Launchpad was pretty solid with his outfit choices- Drake was sure it was a sensory thing, but he never really asked. But he noticed Launchpad was an incredibly touch- oriented person. Not only with physical affection, which flustered Drake to no end, but with really… anything. He once brought Launchpad to visit an old Theatre professor of his, and was so caught up in conversation that he didn’t even realize that Launchpad had gotten separated from him for a time. He panicked, of course, but panic dulled into a soft pang of affection when he found Launchpad mesmerized by all the fabrics in the costume shop, which attracted a small swarm of costuming students just obsessed with telling Launchpad everything they learned that semester. They even gave him a few swatches of spare material he thought was especially soft or smooth, and Launchpad was ecstatic that he got a souvenir from somewhere that was so important to Drake. It was that encounter that really got Drake thinking.  
Drake left his phone by the sink and traded his Darkwing costume for a purple hoodie, walking as casually as he could to the end of the hall to peer over the railing of the stairs to see Launchpad in the middle of taking off his coat and hat and tossing his keys on the coffee table. Launchpad looked up when he saw Drake coming down the stairs and his face brightened and he hurried over to give him a proper hello.  
“Hey Launchpad, was -oof- Gosalyn behaving when you left McDuck Manor?” Drake wheezed as Launchpad picked him up in a tight hug, and he tried to hide his blushing face when he felt Launchpad’s rumbling laugh in his chest.  
“Oh, Gos? Yeah! Her and Webby were trying to prank the boys when I was leaving.” He said proudly, now noticing Drake’s bare face and tilting his head to the side in confusion.  
“Uhh, so no patrolling today?” Launchpad asked, parting away from him to look at him up and down. Drake could feel his face heating up from the sudden attention.  
“Huh? Oh yeah- Fenton just called me. He’s on a date tonight and wanted Gizmoduck to be out of the lab so he could be with a girl or something. So I guess we have the night off” He laughed, not noticing Launchpad’s very brief expression of confusion. However, Launchpad, not wanting to reveal Fenton’s true identity of Gizmoduck to his Gizmoduck-hating friend, let it slide. Drake meandered to the kitchen to make some coffee, and Launchpad wandered after him to lean against the kitchen island, regarding the other man with a soft, thoughtful expression. Drake, his back turned to his friend while he was getting out the coffee and cups, felt Launchpad’s eyes on him and he smiled nervously.  
“Everything okay?” He asked, not turning to look at Launchpad.  
“Hmm? Oh, ha- yeah.” Launchpad said- he almost sounded… embarrassed?  
“Well, what do you want to do tonight?” Drake asked, soon enough pouring both of them their cups of coffee, taking extra care to make sure to make Launchpad’s perfect.  
“Well, umm, actually- I have something in mind-” Drake almost didn’t like Launchpad’s tone. He seemed like he was up to something. Not anything bad, but, well, Drake had to make sure he was always on guard when it came to Launchpad- only because if he didn’t, he would definitely embarrass himself.  
“Something?” Drake repeated, walking over to hand Launchpad his cup of coffee. Their hands brushed for a second and Drake recoiled his hand, his dream from last night burning itself into his memory again.  
“Well-woah, DW, you okay? Did you burn yourself?” Launchpad asked worriedly, setting the cup down and gently pulling Drake’s wrist closer to him to inspect it. Drake’s first reaction was to pull his hand back again, but he froze, just watching Launchpad inspect his hand worriedly, his expression soft when he brushed a thumb along Drake’s uninjured palm.  
“Old injury. Nerves.” Drake lied, but his voice suddenly grew hoarse when Launchpad let go of his hand, seemingly buying his excuse.  
“Gotcha… well, if it happens again I’ll get an ice pack.” Launchpad murmured softly, and leaned back, running a hand through his own hair. Drake took a moment to really look at him, admiring the way his hair fell into his face a little.  
“Umm, Yeah, err, what was your idea, LP?” He asked, shakily grabbing for his own cup of coffee, trying not to chug the scalding drink.  
“Oh, Yeah! Follow me.”

\------------------------------

“Okay... so you wanted to show me...the outside of Darkwing Tower?” Drake asked him, shivering from the wind that tossed his hair every which way, watching Launchpad excitedly shift beside him. LP leaned closer to him, hooking an arm around his waist and leaning down a little to point at something on the horizon. Drake blinked, allowing himself just this once to lean into the embrace, closing his eyes for a second. It was really cold and the sea breeze didn’t help, but Launchpad had grabbed his jacket before they went outside, so Drake mooched off of the heat he radiated.  
“Aaand, right… there!” Launchpad said, and at first Drake didn’t understand. All he saw was the sunset fading into the dark navy of the sky. The bright yellows and oranges of the clouds started to bleed together, but he realized that there were thin lines of purple that also matched the shadows of the clouds gathered on the horizon. He looked up at Launchpad with a curious expression.  
“That! That’s… well, that’s my favorite color. That specific, sunset- purple. It’s, uhh, special. I umm, actually don’t remember why I was so excited.” Launchpad suddenly babbled, straightening away from Drake, and he started to feel awkward when Drake cocked his head at him and gave him a more puzzled look.  
But though Launchpad read Drake’s look as being confused, it was actually an expression of realization.  
It was that brief moment of time where there was still sunlight, and the orange-pink glow of the sun cast Launchpad in a angelic light, his hair getting jostled around in the breeze just like him. But there was something there in his friend’s face, this vulnerability that he showed. Drake was mesmerized for a moment, before Launchpad looked away, fishing something out from his jacket pocket.  
“I, well, actually. There was… another thing I wanted to show you. Well, give to you. You, well, probably don’t remember, but, it was around this time last year that we first met. And, well, I’ve never missed an anniversary.” Launchpad murmured, humming a bit nervously before showing Drake a small, woven purple and orange bracelet before helping him put it on..  
“Webby helped me make it- ‘Cuz she said ‘friendship bracelets were the best way to show people you care about them’ or something like that.” Launchpad said, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously as he searched for something to change in Drake’s face.  
“Drake? Uh, you okay?” Launchpad asked, and Drake stepped back, finally coming back to reality.  
“Huh? YES, yep, I just- I have to get something, stay here, don’t move!” Drake nearly shrieked, tripping over himself as he ran back into the tower. Launchpad winced when he heard Drake crash through the building, waiting a few very long moments before he rushed back out, panting, holding something behind his back. He breathed heavily, and he gave Launchpad a very soft look.  
“LP, I- err, I’m not good at this stuff. But umm, I want… I want you to know that- Uh, Okay, I’m probably reading this all wrong, but, pheww, Okay.” Drake closed his eyes and steeled his nerves, and he brought out the soft, silk scarf that shimmered in his hands. He looked at Launchpad, taking in his image just in case LP never wanted to see him after this again.  
“I. I got this for you, because I think it’s pretty cute how happy you look after you find a texture you really like. And, well, I remembered you really like this type of material so I asked my friend to make it for me. I tried to make it myself at first and it was really, really bad and I sewed myself to it twice and… well. I’m not really that great with people. I’m especially not great at being super… vulnerable, with them. But LP- I kinda.. Well, I have this um, you’re kinda...” he was struggling with his words, and Launchpad could see the panic start to well up in his dear friend’s eyes.  
At that, he gently leaned down and took the scarf from Drake’s grasp, grinning more than he had in ages. He took a moment to enjoy running his hand over the material before draping the scarf on both of their shoulders, letting it link them together. Launchpad then, albeit shakily, gingerly let his hands come up to cup Drake’s face. He could feel the other man tremble a little in nervousness, but he soon sunk into the touch like he hadn’t been touched so tenderly in years- which, Launchpad realized- he probably hadn’t. Drake started to laugh quietly, his hands coming up to interlock his fingers with LP’s, but Launchpad grew worried when his quiet laughs turned into a very faint sniffling.  
“Hey…” Launchpad whispered, his expression welling with such affection that made Drake feel so overwhelmed, but this time, he was grateful for it.  
“Hey.” Drake murmured, chuckling quietly when Launchpad touched their foreheads together, thumbs caressing his cheek lovingly.  
“So I guess this means... Partners?” Drake suggested, like he did a year ago.  
“Always.”


End file.
